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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 6, 1999)
Best Bet Major league Baseball Florida vs. Atlanta 4:35 p.m., TBS . WW Ems rock Rockies with five-run fifth Outfielder Kevin Bass was chosen as the Northwest League Play er of the Week after he hit .360 with three home runs and eight runs bat ted in during the week ending on July 4. On Monday, he had two hits and one RBI. After surrendering a two-run lead in the top of the fifth, Eugene grabs the lead for good By Mirjam Swanson Oregon Daily Emerald Although it wasn’t pretty, the Emeralds felt good about Monday’s 10-6 victory over the Portland Rockies (9-8) at Civic Stadium. After five straight losses, even a win in which Eugene pitchers allowed 12 hits and five walks was sweet for the Ems and the 2,491 fans in at tendance. Eugene improved its season record to 6-12. “'We lost five in a row there,” relief pitcher Joe Ohm said. “So it was nice to get a win, to get back on track. Mentally it’s really important. It makes com ing to the ball park a little more enjoyable knowing that you just won one the night before.” When Ohm arrives at work today he’ll do so knowing that he played an important part in shutting down the Rockies on Monday evening. “Joe came in and did a great job,” Ems manager Danny Sheaffer said. Ohm took the mound in the top of the eighth and allowed two singles but didn’t give up a run in earning the save. His performance reflected the Ems’ progression as a team through the first three weeks of the season. After struggling in his first few outings, Ohms’ earned run average had skyrocketed to 12.00 prior to Monday’s con test. But his performance against the Rockies showed him to be a better pitcher than the statistics indicate. “My arm is feeling a lot bet ter,” Ohm said. “It feels like it has a little more pop and a lit tle more sharpness to the breaking ball. Altogether, it feels better.” Leftfielder Kevin Bass also feels considerably better than he had been feeling earlier in the season. Last week he was selected as Northwest Player of the Week, for his production during a seven-game span in which he hit .360, with three home runs and eight runs batted in. Bass- continued his hot streak against Portland, going two-for-four and driving in the tying run in the third inning. This time however, his team mates joined him in providing the Ems with the needed of fense to snap their second dis appointing losing streak of the short season, Bass said. “It’s nice to break it,” Bass said. “Hopefully we can keep it up and take it into the next day. I’m pretty sure we will. “Everybody is sort of finally coming together. We’ve gone through some lulls and some slumps, now we’re just bond ing together. You can just see it in everybody at bat, we’ve got confidence.” Sheaffer was appreciative of his teams’ surge in confidence Monday, noting that — after falling behind by two runs in the second inning — the Ems then tied the game in the bot tom of the second before claim ing the lead in the third. “The most positive thing about [Monday’s] game is that we were down one run and we came back,” Sheaffer said. “It shows some character, it shows the guys don’t quit.” But Portland continued to Turn to EMS, Page 8 Sheaffer confident he can chauffeur Ems to success First-year Ems manager Danny Sheaffer believes his team can and will reverse its slow start By Tim Pyle Oregon Daily Emerald After 17 years of playing pro fessional baseball, one must have seen a lot in the game. Apparently, Danny Sheaffer saw it all because he said he has not been surprised by any thing so far in his first season in the dugout as the Class-A Eu gene Emerald’s manager in the zany Northwest League. “The biggest obstacles are all the off-the-field stuff,” said Sheaffer after his team broke a five-game losing streak with a 10-6 victory over the Portland Rockies at Civic Stadium on Monday night. “Baseball is baseball — it hasn’t changed in the last 150 years.” However, Sheaffer does ad mit that a manager’s workload is grueling. “It’s pretty much what I ex pected, but a lot more work,” Sheaffer said. Despite the Ems’ dismal record and last-place standing in the Southern Division, Sheaffer’s players could not be more pleased with their manag er. “He’s been [to the major leagues'], and he treats us like we’re all in the big leagues,” outfielder Kevin Bass said. “He just lets us play. He doesn’t re ally say much about anything, so I couldn’t ask for a greater guy.” Fellow Eugene outfielder Jeff Ryan agreed with Bass’ assess ment. “He knows the game, and that’s important,” Ryan said. “Him being so experienced — being in the pros and stuff — can only help us.” But can Sheaffer’s wealth of • experience help the Ems to more wins? Turn to SHEAFFER, Page 8 Ryan Gripp, who is one of the Em’s brightest prospects this season, tags out a Rockies’base runner at third base.
